The auto age is defunct. Buicks, Chryslers, and Pontiacs disfigure the landscape. Vines sprout in Manhattan. Wolves are seen in downtown Cleveland. And psychiatrist, mental hospital outpatient, and inventor Dr. Tom More has created a miraculous instrument: the ontological lapsometer, a kind of stethoscope of the human spirit. With it, he plans to cure mankind’s spiritual flu. But first he must survive Moira, Lola, and Ellen—and discover why so many living people are actually dead.
Attempting to save the world from completely destroying itself, Tom ultimately begins to understand the quality and caprices of life and the uncontrollable vagaries of time and chance.

Summary

Summary

The auto age is defunct. Buicks, Chryslers, and Pontiacs disfigure the landscape. Vines sprout in Manhattan. Wolves are seen in downtown Cleveland. And psychiatrist, mental hospital outpatient, and inventor Dr. Tom More has created a miraculous instrument: the ontological lapsometer, a kind of stethoscope of the human spirit. With it, he plans to cure mankind’s spiritual flu. But first he must survive Moira, Lola, and Ellen—and discover why so many living people are actually dead.

Attempting to save the world from completely destroying itself, Tom ultimately begins to understand the quality and caprices of life and the uncontrollable vagaries of time and chance.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“A comedy of love against a field of anarchy…Percy is easily one of the finest writers we have.” —New York Times Book Review

“A great adventure…So outrageous and so real, one is left speechless.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Immensely readable, vividly entertaining.” —Los Angeles Times

“Profoundly moving…One of the major novels of our time.” —Milwaukee Journal

“[Gardner] is a smooth narrator who handles dialect in context to the novel’s tone, giving just the right amount of emphasis. Production quality is excellent.” —Kliatt

“[Grover Gardner] is the perfect vehicle for both the bemused Dr. More and the satirical author himself. Hats off to Blackstone Audio for finding the perfect reader to match Percy’s timeless satire.” —AudioFile

Reviews

Reviews

Author

Author Bio: Walker Percy

Walker Percy (1916–1990) went to medical school and interned at Bellevue, intending to be a psychiatrist. After a bout with tuberculosis, he married and converted to Catholicism. He became a writer and his first novel, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award and has never been out of print. He lived with his wife in Covington, Louisiana, where they operated a bookstore until his death.

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